Baltimore erased an early deficit with timely hitting and strong pitching to defeat Boston 4-2 at Fenway Park. The Orioles scored four runs in the first four innings to overcome a 1-0 hole and extend their winning streak to two games.
Shane Baz earned the victory with seven innings of work, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 6. The right-hander improved to 3-5 on the season with an ERA of 4.16. Rico Garcia closed out the ninth inning for his fourth save, striking out two in a perfect frame.
Pete Alonso provided the decisive blow with a two-run homer in the third inning that scored Rutschman and gave Baltimore a 3-1 lead. Coby Mayo had tied the game 1-1 in the second with a solo homer to left-center field that was confirmed after video review. Alexander added an insurance run in the fourth with a sacrifice fly that scored O'Neill.
Connelly Early took the loss for Boston, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits over 5.1 innings with 6 strikeouts. His ERA stands at 3.26 after falling to 5-3. The Red Sox managed just 5 hits and scored their runs on sacrifice flies by Abreu in the first and Mayer in the fifth.
Baltimore improved to 28-32 and moved within striking distance of .500. Boston fell to 25-33 despite winning two straight games entering the contest.